Controller for printing presses



a??? 4, 1936. E. H. L AABS CQNTROLLER FOR PRINTING PRESSES Filed June 30,1933

Patented Feb. 4, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CONTROLLER FOR PRINTING ,PRESSES Eric H. Laabs, Milwaukee, Wis., assignor to Cutlet-Hammer, Inc., Milwaukee, Wis., a corporation of Delaware Application June 30, 1933, Serial No. 678,440

6 Claims. (01. 164-43) This invention relates to controllers for print- Referring to Fig. l of the drawing, the same ing presses, and more particularly to controllers shows an alternating current motor I for driving including means operable upon web breakage to a press, such motor to be supplied with current stop the press and to sever the web at a given from lines L L L it of course being understood 5 point. that the motor may be of any preferred type,

I-Ieretofore it has been customary to employ and that in lieu of the single motor I the drive separate circuits under the control of a so-called may comprise a large motor and a small motor in paper-break switch for energizing elements. ,of accordance with common practice. the stopping means and the web severing means. The controller illustrated comprises a switch In some instances one circuit has been supplied panel 2, a crosshead type controller 3 operated 10 with alternating current and the other with diby a pilot motor 4 to control resistance R for morect current, whereas in other instances both cirtor I and also to control certain of the switches cults have been supplied with direct current with of panel 2 and a push button control station 5 to a substantial difference in voltage of the two circontrol the pilot motor 4, such station also being cults and hence it often has been necessary for commonly employed to control certain of the 15 housing of such circuits to employ separate conswitches of panel 2. To avoid unnecessary comduits therefor. Also employment of such sepaplication of the disclosure of the features of the rate circuits has resulted in complications where present invention the aforementioned elements a number of press units are coordinated for difof the controller and their interconnections are ferent groupings necessitating commutations of shown in detailonly in respect of certain of the control circuits including the paper-break switch commonly employed switches and circuits and. of circuits. the herein proposed switches and circuits.

The present invention has among its objects Thus While the switch panel 2 is ordinarily proto provide an improved controller wherein wiring vided with numerous switches and relays for of the paper break switch is greatly simplified as inching, running, stopping, etc., only two of such 5 is also housing of the wires. switches and relays are illustrated, namely a Another object is to so coordinate the paperswitch 6 to control the primary circuit of the mobreak switch, the stopping means and the web tor I and astop relay I to controlswitch 6. As severing means as to greatly facilitate such comillustrated the switch 6 controls the continuity mutation or transfer of control connections as of circuit to two terminals of the motor I, said 0 may be required for different groupings ofa-numswitch having an energizing to be conber of press units. nected across lines L L by relay I, said relay Another object is to enable both sets of the having an energizing circuit B--9 to be controlled conventional form of paper-break switch to be by the push button station 5. However, it is to employed for controlling the two, wire circuit be understood that the switch 6 may be of the 35 herein proposed whereby burning of the contacts triple pole type to afford disconnection of all in service is greatly reduced. terminals of the motor and that the stop relay Another object is to provide a controller, of I may be employed to control switch 6 directly as the aforestated character renderingthe paperillustratedor through another relay in accordbreak switch operable to stop the press without ance with common practice. 40 severing the web when the press speed is below a Switch panel 2 as shown also has thereon a predetermined limit. relay IE) and a relay I I. Relay II] which controls Other objects and advantages of the invention a short-circuit for the winding of the stop relay will hereinafter appear. I has two windings I0 and IN, the former hav- .45 The accompanying drawing illustrates diaing in circuit therewith contacts II- of relay II, grammatically one embodiment of the invention, and the latter having in circuit therewith con and the same will now bedescribed, it being untacts II of said relay. Relay II has an operatderstood that the invention is susceptible of vaing winding to be connected across lines L L rious modifications without departing from the when the crosshead driven by the pilot motor 4 scope of the appended claims. bridges certain of contacts I2I3 and said relay 50 In the drawing, upon responding opens its normally closed con- Figure 1 shows a controller having a single patacts II and closes its normally open contacts per-break switch, while I l Fig. 2 shows coordination of a number of pa- The controller further comprises a paper-break per-break switches'. switch l4 having two sets of contacts I I and M 55 said switch being normally apes, and being adapted to be closed upon breakage of the web supplied to the press, by an arm I5 which rides on the web and falls when the web breaks. As illustrated the web is supplied from a roll I6 and is passed over a roll I? to and through the :press cylinders I8 and thence over rolls I 9 and {2B, the arm I5 resting on the web at a point between the last mentioned rolls. The paperbreak switch controls circuit to the contacts of relay II which circuit includes the operating winding 2i of a web cutter 22 shown as positioned to cut the web at a point between the roll IT and the press cylinders. It is of course to be understood that the paper-break switch and the web cutter maybe of any of the well known types, and that the two sets of contacts of the paper-break switch may be connected either in series or parallel to afford multiple break of the circuit controlled thereby.

/ Assuming the relay II to be energized, closure of the paper-break switch completes circuit from line L through said switch to and through the winding 2| of the web cutter, and thence through the contacts of relay II to and through the winding Ill of relay III to line L Thus closure of the paper-break switch with relay II energized provides for operation of the cutter 22 and for operation of relay Ill by winding lo to short-circuit the winding of stop relay I to stop the press motor I by opening switch 6. However, the relay II is normally open and is energized only when the crosshead controller 3, which as will be understood is employed for speed control of motor I is moved in a speed increasing direction to bridge contact I3 with a contact I2 connected to the winding of relay I I. Thus it willbe understood that when the press is operating at a lower speed the web cutting and stopping circuit just described will be ineffective. Also it will be understood that the speed at which relay I I is energized may be varied by increasing or decreasing the number of contacts I2'connected to the winding of relay I I.

On the other hand, when the paper-break switch closes with the relay II deenergized said switch completes a circuit from line L to and through the winding 2| of the web cutter, thence to and through a resistance 1', contacts II of relay II and the winding Ill of relay IE! to line L The resistance r is of such value that the current allowed to flow in the circuit just traced is inadequate to effect operation of the web cutter, whereas the winding I9 of relay I!) is so designed as to be responsive to the reduced current of this circuit to operate relay ID for short-circuiting the stop relay. Thus provision is made whereby with the relay I I open, as it is when the press is operating below a given speed, operation of the paper-break switch effects stopping of the press without operating the web cutter.

The provision for stopping the press without cutting the web when the press is operated at slow speed has been found very desirable, and as aforestated use of the paper-break switch to control only a single circuit facilitates wiring and housing of the wires and minimizes contact troubles. Also the control herein disclosed has the advantage of effecting quicker response of the web severing device than is obtainable where energization of the winding of said device is in accordance with common practice dependent upon response of some instrumentality following response of the stopping means.

Furthermore as exemplified in Fig. 2, the cireczema cuit herein proposed has additional advantages. As shown in this figure the paper-break switch I5 may have connected in parallel therewith additional paper-break switches I5 to control a common stop relay 7, the winding 2| of the web cutting device 22 being connected in the branch circuit of paper-break switch I5 and windings 2 I of additional web cutting devices be ing connected in the branch circuits of the addi tional paper-break switches. This very simple multiple circuit arrangement provides for operation of the common stop relay upon operation of any one of the paper-break switches and for operation of the web severing devices selectively, since each of the web severing device windings has only one of the paper-break switches in series therewith.

As will be apparent, the circuit herein proposed is applicable to either alternating or direct current controllers and is particularly advantageous where the circuits of the paper-break switches are to be extended through transfer switches, as is frequently desired in the control of a number of press units, since the circuit herein proposed requires only two contacts per transfer switch.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a printing press controller, in combination, stopping means, web severing means, each of said means having a control winding, a supply circuit for said windings including the latter in a series relation and a control switch for said circuit operable automatically upon web breakage.

2. In a printing press controller, the combination with motor control means including speed varying means and stopping means, of a web severing device, a common control element for said stopping means and said web severing device, and electrical means under the control of said motor control means to render a given operation of said element effective to cause operation, of said stopping means and said web severing de-- vice or operation of said stopping means only, said electrical means having circuit connections affording all necessary current supply free from variation by the electrical condition of the controlled motor.

3. In a printing press controller, the combination with motor control means including speed varying means and stopping means, of a web severing device, a common control element for said stopping means and said web severing device, said element on a given operation thereof always effecting operation of said stopping means, and means operable to render said web severing device responsive or unresponsive selectively to said given operation of said element, the last mentioned means being electroresponsive and under the control of said speed varying means and having circuit connections affording all necessary current supply free from variation by the electrical condition of the controlled motor.

4. In a printing press controller, the combinae tion with'motor control means including stopping means having control windings either of which when energized effects stopping, of a circuit having parallel branches for said windings with current reducing means in one branch and a web severing device having a control winding so connected in said circuit that when the latter is closed said web severing device will be unresponsive if only the branch including said ourrent reducing means is closed and will be responsive if another of said branches is closed.

5. In a printing press controller, the combination with motor control means including stopping means having control windings either of which when energized effects stopping, of a circuit having parallel branches for said windings with current reducing means in one branch, a switch operable upon breakage of the press web to complete said circuit for energization of the closed. branch or branches thereof, a web severing device having a control winding included in said circuit in series relation with the aforementioned branches, the last mentioned Winding being unresponsive to the current traversing the branch including said current reducing means but responsive to the current traversing another of said branches whereby the last mentioned branch may be opened to: provide for stopping without web severing upon operation of said switch or may be closed to provide for both stopping and severing of the web.

6. In a printing press controller, the combination with motor control means including speed regulating means and stopping means, the latter having a plurality of control windings, of a switch operable upon breakage of the press web, a circuit controlled by said switch having parallel branches for said windings of said stopping means and having means to limit one of said branches to a reduced current flow, means to open or close another of said branches according to the setting of said speed regulating means, said windings providing for stopping operation of said stopping means upon operation of said switch even when the last mentioned branch is open, and a web severing device having an operating winding connected in said circuit to be subjected to the current flow traversing either of said branches, said web severing device being unresponsive to the current traversing said circuit when limited to the aforesaid reduced flow and being responsive to the current traversing said circuit when not so limited.

ERIC H. LAABS. 

